Mega Man Transformers The Longest Day
by Autobot-Prowl
Summary: Megatron steals a new technology from the remains of one of Dr. Wily's labs and uses it against the Autobots. When the technology releases a virus that begins to effect all the robotic life on Earth, Mega Man teams up with the Autobots to stop it.
1. Chapter 1

Transformers / Mega Man:  
The Longest Day 

Obviously I do not own any part of either Transformers or Mega Man. The Transformers Copyright is owned by Hasbro, and the Mega Man copyright is owned by Capcom. This is a work of Fandom and I do not gain any profit from it in any way.

Story takes place after the events of Mega Man 8 and during Season 2 of Transformers

Quick apologies: For making some pretty fanciful and geek assumptions about the hows and whys of Mega Man that I don't think were ever coverred officially. For giving personalities to Wily Bots in the cases where none had been given before. To all Zero fans, for writing a Zero with the Wily Protocols in tact. To all Jazz fans, if I don't do him justice. And finally for fitting in backstory in the cases where there may not have been any before -coughProtectobotscough-

--Part 1--

They really were like two thugs running away from the police after getting caught in the act of a crime. Heavy footfalls carried Rumble and Frenzy away from the power plant at a frantic pace. If they'd had lungs they would have been panting as they made their way into some ruined buildings where the rubble from a recent battle had left a series of unnatural caves. Prowl or the other Autobots that had been on their tail wouldn't have been able to follow them in here even if they'd been following them this far.

"Stupid Starscream!" Rumble pounded his fist into the wall at their side, grumbling deeply. Rumble always found a way to blame Starscream anytime the air commander wasn't around to hear him.

Frenzy turned a confused look toward his fellow cassetticon, "What did Starscream do?"

Rumble just shook his head and sat down on some debris that formed a mound near him. He put himself into a thinker's position and tried to recall the mission they'd just been on. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't really blame Starscream… at least not entirely. The mission had been one of the few covert missions that Megatron had sent them on since their arrival here on Earth. Place a device on each of the generators at a power-plant so that a significant portion of the energy created at the plant would be converted into energon for use by the Decepticons. As far as he could tell it had only been a coincidence that Bumblebee and Jazz had seen them fly in and apparently alerted Prowl and Ironhide to their presence. Being a covert mission, it was originally only supposed to be Frenzy, their boss and himself. Starscream's only real mistake was that he had invited himself along when the plan hadn't called for him to be there.

In truth, it was probably that reason that had allowed Frenzy and himself to escape the chase, the Autobots had chased after the bigger targets and the two cassetticons the ease of a few quick alleyway dodges. Now they were here… wait, where had Frenzy gone?

Frustrated, Rumble stood up and muttered something. He wasn't concerned so much about Frenzy's safety as he was about the fact that he might be held responsible if Frenzy did something stupid and Rumble came back without him. He moved deeper into the artificial caverns, grinning a little at the level of destruction that had taken place here. If he was a more artistic type he might consider it a real masterpiece, as it was he was fascinated with the amount of power that it would have taken to do this to a section of a town.

After a moment of searching, his audio receptors picked up an echo coming down one of the twisting caverns leading deeper into the rubble. Seeing some beams and debris moved to one side of a particular tunnel told him it was probably the one he was looking for. Rumble might not have been the brightest of Decepticons, but it would require a level of ignorance far below his own to miss something so blatant. Slugfest might have made the mistake, Rumble let out a low laugh and felt his favorite kind of pride. The pride that is gained at the expense of another.

Coming deeper through the maze, Rumble began to realize that he was underground now and no longer just under the remains of what had been on the surface. The tunnels were a little more stable now and he began to feel more like he was wandering through hallways as opposed to caverns. He felt something solid and metal creak under the weight of his foot and looked down at the remains of a… he'd be generous to call it primitive… robot bending and crushing under him.

Then he heard a somewhat maniacal chuckle and a small explosion come from around the corner. If nothing else he'd managed to find his compatriot…

The equipment in this room looked a little more advanced, but Rumble was still feeling too cool to admit that it was on par with anything they had back at base. He took a quick scan across the room, subconsciously looking for anything to pilfer that might win him some favor from the boss, or their boss' boss - Megatron.

"Let's smash it!" Frenzy said excitedly and stomped down on a broken piece of a robot.

Rumble was entertaining the idea for a while as he looked around the room. There were several components, and many computers still in tact. The room didn't look like it had been ravaged like the caverns they'd come down here through, it just looked like it had been left in disarray. He contorted his face as he looked over the dusty computer screens, chuckling a little when Frenzy tried to stomp on what looked like a dusty yellow hardhat and the bubble of metal didn't even dent. Frenzy followed it up by pummeling down on it with his pile-driver arms, and though the sound of the impact rang out through the room loud enough to bring chunks of dust down from the ceiling and walls, the little yellow object wasn't any worse for the wear.

Rumble held up a hand as if he were calling rank, a rank that he didn't have over the other Cassetticon, "Hold on, hold on…"

Frenzy growled a little and stopped, "What?"

"You know what the big boss always says…" he put his hand behind his head as he tried to remember the words. Megatron's exact words had been: 'There is no technology that doesn't bring power with it'. The best that Rumble could remember them to repeat them to Frenzy was: "Uh… all tech stuff is uh… cool." He knew for certain that wasn't what he was trying to say, but let it slide, "Or something like that."

Folding his arms the red Cassetticon sneered a little, "Okay. So what're you sayin', then?"

"I'm sayin'…" Rumble began trying to match Frenzy's tone, not having any more patience with explaining himself than the other Cassetticon, "Maybe if we bring back some of this stuff back to the big boss and maybe he overlooks our most royal of screw-ups on the mission today!" the idea wasn't brilliant, but he was expecting that Starscream and the boss would have gone back empty handed, which meant any offering to Megatron would likely turn his anger away from them. Not that they wanted anything negative to happen to Soundwave, but in the long run if it fell down to a choice between themselves and him… somewhere in his circuitry Rumble felt dirty for even having the thought. No, they'd pretend that it was all part of a plan that Soundwave had had, it wouldn't take much to make Starscream the full recipient of Megatron's anger, anyhow. He tried to ready himself for the labor of moving as much as they could to a point where they could signal for a pick-up, chuckling again at the yellow hardhat on the floor, "If nothing else we got a neat little hat to give to the big boss that'll probably protect his processors from some Autobot fire."

Frenzy looked down at the yellow object, "No way! I found it, it's my hat!" he insisted reaching down for it and fully intending to put it on his head.

"Alright…" Rumble conceded, "You better hope Megatron shoots from directly above you when he finds out you kept it, then." He didn't have to look to know that Frenzy had stopped reaching for the object, and the two of them began by pulling the computers from the walls…

--

Just a boy taking his dog out for a walk. That's what he'd intended for the afternoon to be when he'd left that day. Maybe they'd play a little fetch, maybe he'd read some comic books in the park while his dog dug holes for no reason other than the fact that he was a dog. Of course, he'd had that plan plenty of times in the past and it hardly ever worked out that way. He just wasn't normal. He wasn't a normal boy, and his dog wasn't a normal dog. The two of them were two of the most advanced robotic life forms ever created by the hand of man.

His name was Rock Light. But, most of the world knew him as Mega Man. He liked the idea that he was a super-hero sometimes, other times he hated it. But he knew deep down that it wasn't the expectations of others that made him do it. There were just things he could do that most humans - and even a lot of other robots - couldn't do. To him that meant he was obligated to use those talents to help both people and robots.

The confines of a park were too small and public for the kind of rough-housing that Rock liked with his favorite pet. Going outside of the city also allowed him to escape being found by his father or his sister too easily. After all, there was probably something he was supposed to be doing at home. Sometimes Dr. Light seemed to forget that he wasn't designed to be a house-cleaning robot any more.

A slight groan escaped his mouth when he'd recognized the all too familiar sounds of trouble in his city. The solid-light emitters within his body manifested his familiar blue boots, gauntlets and helmet while simultaneously removing the holographic clothing that had covered the blue bodysuit that he wore over his cybernetic frame. His sister Roll liked to refer to it as "zapping his costume on". Inside his body the emitters altered the structure of his left arm, the gauntlet becoming the arm and the hand sinking inside the body to be reprocessed to connect the weapons systems and bring them online. He didn't know exactly how all of it worked, he didn't like to think of it any more than any human liked to think about how their digestive tract worked, preferring only to worry about it if the desired results didn't occur. Only three other robots had a system as complex. His sister Roll had a system that could replicate tools but not weaponry, his nemesis Bass had a system based off of the design… and then there was his older brother…

No changes in costume were necessary for his canine companion, the red helmet, body and paws always present on the dog. They didn't change their appearances for any hopes at hiding their identities. It had been big news when Dr. Light had made the breakthroughs he had in robotics that had eventually led to their creation. Even if he hadn't been a hero he would have had that kind of celebrity. Rock just felt more comfortable without his weapons systems active when he was out in town. It might mean he was technically defenseless for a precious second if he was surprised, but he just couldn't find comfort in walking around brandishing a blaster everywhere he went.

So their day had been ruined to some extent, they wouldn't get to do all those boy and his dog activities that he'd had planned for the afternoon. He wished that eager growl from Rush meant that his companion was as focused on the task as he was, but he knew the truth. They might not have gotten to do anything Rock thought was fun, but every dog loves to chase cars… and they'd all love it even more if they could keep up on the freeway.

Mega Man kept his balance standing on top of his dog like he were a surfboard, riding invisible waves through the air while a stream of hot rocket fire tailed behind them. The stories they'd seen on the news from all over the world told them that Rush's ability to transform into various forms wasn't unique, but the same solid-light technology that worked Mega Man's weapons also meant that the amount of forms that Rush could potentially take put him - at least if you asked Rock - way ahead of any alien robots.

He hadn't had much interaction with the Transformers as a whole, and admittedly wasn't very familiar with either side. His brother Fire Man often tried to talk to him about the current events involving the alien robots, and Mega Man had managed to commit it to memory that the Autobots were the good guys and the Decepticons were the bad guys. Though, even in the case of his nemesis, Dr. Wily, he didn't like to think of it as so black and white. He didn't want to believe that they were bad just because they were Decepticons, believing that there had to be some underlying politics or something behind the war that wasn't common knowledge. That belief had kept him out of the battles so far, but he wasn't about to let a wild semi-truck and four sports cars tear up his highways without letting them know whose town they'd come into…

Panic washed over his face as Rush pushed harder to try and catch up with the rampaging pack of cars pushing other vehicles off the road. He wanted desperately to slow down and help the people in those cars, but they were just being pushed into the grassy field outside of town. As violent as some of the impacts were, they could have been much worse if there was something to throw them into. Mega Man knew any drivers or pedestrians wouldn't be so lucky once they made it into the city limits.

The roads were clear now, but they were getting close to the city. At this speed he might have another fifteen minutes or so. All that remained behind the pack of cars was a police car that looked like it was from out of town, and a motorcycle that seemed to be expertly weaving around and between them. Moving at the speeds they were, Mega Man didn't notice that neither vehicle had a driver of any kind. As unpredictably wild as the pack of Decepticons were, he was having a hard time steadying his Mega Buster on them and let out a quick spray of three shots aimed ahead of the yellow race car that was coming out from the rear and apparently trying to trade positions with the white sports car that was only inches in front of it. Two of the shots landed but didn't seem to slow the vehicle down any, the third shot blew a beach ball sized crater into the asphalt that made Mega Man wince when he saw the clean white police car heading for it. He let out an audible sigh of relief when the car maneuvered around it, but it made him rethink his strategy. It wasn't like he was providing them with any bird's eye information that the helicopter above him couldn't do just as well.

In the air and shooting down he wasn't any use to the law enforcement officials that were helping him chase the Stunticons down. He pushed himself up and jumped just a few inches off of Rush as he called out to the dog. Reconfiguring itself it landed on the road as a motorcycle with the body of a dog, Mega Man landing on top of it with a slightly less than graceful thud and a masterful control to alter the sliding wheels from the impact.

At first his eyes closed and he screamed instinctually as he suddenly became a target for the crazy cars around him. Each of them taking turns boxing him in and then coming at him with quick sharp turns trying to slam into him from all sorts of angles. He actively winced a little when he could swear he heard them laughing. When he realized how intuitively Rush was able to respond even without him controlling, however, he became a little more relaxed and saw their attacks as what they really were. A game. They were rushing in at him, but usually didn't follow much when

Rush evaded them. They were toying with him, which opened his eyes - figuratively and literally - to another way of seeing their behavior. Opportunity…

As his brother Bomb Man would say, if you're surrounded it doesn't matter what direction you shoot. That wasn't entirely the case, he realized, he didn't want to shoot behind him and risk them dodging and the blast finding it's way to one of the law enforcement vehicles that were giving chase along with him. But of three hundred and sixty degrees, that still left him with a very large piece of the circle for firing without regret.

He fired again, three more shots this time aiming at the blood crimson colored sports car to his left. Each shot hit, but there seemed to be some kind of force field absorbing the blasts. He frowned and wished for a minute that his optics were better designed for scanning, they worked well for identifying some energy fields - he had no problem telling how much energy a Wily Bot had left in it's core, for example - but in this case he hadn't even noticed the force field until shots from his Mega Buster had actually collided with it.

Dodging another swerve from the white car he took a chance while it was in close and fired another three shots in quick succession aimed right at the wheel he was frighteningly close to.

He watched as the field around this car ate away at the shots…

Until the third one.

Sparks flew for a second from the hubcap on the wheel and the faint glow of plasma interacting with metal flashed across it. So even under the force field they were heavily armored. But at least he knew he could get through the field if he had to. As welcome as that realization was, the fact that he hadn't done any real damage was disheartening to say the least. It wasn't just unlikely he'd manage to inflict enough damage to stop them before they reached the city… heck, he thought, calling it a pipe dream was generous. He was already letting energy gather into his Mega Buster for the next shot, the barrel beginning to glow yellow then orange then pinkish red, but he wasn't really expecting much from his next experiment. Really, at this point, he'd settle for just pissing one of them off.

"Alright Rush!" his child like voice filled with determination as well as frustration and the dog zoomed in to carry him closer to the apparent leader of the pack. The rear wheels of the enormous ebony semi-truck coming so close to him that he was reminded of old movies that his father liked to watch. He felt like some man with a bad mustache had tied him and his dog to a conveyer belt to get this close to the spinning death.

They were close now. Too close. The only thing between the semi leading them and the city was an ambulance and a fire truck. Processes working as fast as they were, he did have a microsecond to realize that the presence of both of those vehicles seemed premature, but he was grateful for them.

Opening his mouth a reddish brown light began to form in Rush's maw, he looked a little like a dopey little stupid mutt at home with a cartoon mouse, but these road raging cars were about to find out why he was the best damn guard dog around. While Mega Man was still steadying his arm and letting the pink glow turn brighter at the tip of his Buster, the dog let out a seemingly endless stream of missiles trying as much as he could to concentrate them on the tires and axle of the truck's trailer. After a barrage of thirty seemed to weaken the outer field, Rock unleashed the energy he'd charged into his blaster. A bright rainbow of plasma launching out of his arm condensed into a wide fiery ball that drilled into the axle just inside from the rear driver's side tire. He didn't think it would destroy the vehicle or anything so grandiose, reserving himself instead to disrupting his drive enough so that all he had to do was have Rush slam down the brakes.

The tire wobbled on the axle and eventually the trailer began to shake and twist on the road before sliding sideways and fishtailing the truck. Mega Man couldn't help but feel a little content with himself when he watched it start to run sideways on it's own momentum, hoping that the way he saw the metal beginning to contort was from some damage that he might have caused the truck. The whole thing didn't even take a second, and if Mega Man hadn't planned on it, he wouldn't have had time to stop either. He'd already resigned himself to the concept that his Mega Buster wasn't enough of a punch to knock any of them out, but he wanted to see what the effect would be if they ran into each other…

One by one, each of the cars following the truck became a missile pounding into it. So close together the sound of the impact registered as a single noise. The truck, already in transformation from vehicle to robot was flung backward by the impact, two of the other cars spun out and crashed again into each other. The last two were on the outside of the impact, one grazed against the cab of the truck which left it being dragged under the foot of the black robot for a second. The blood crimson sports car was the luckiest, only scratching a long line along the roof of the car as it ran first across and then under the tail of the trailer, the out of control wheel that caused the pile-up doing unapologetic violence to the car's paint but leaving it otherwise unscathed.

He was feeling mighty proud of himself until he saw the law enforcement vehicles zoom past him. He went to scream, but he really didn't have much time. The police car managed a sharp turn to the side and to cease it's motion with an ear shattering screech from it's wheels. The motorcycle, on the other hand, was not so lucky. It was in too centrally to have the ease of a turn like the car had. Mega Man's optics seemed to freeze on the instant that he saw it crash, roll, and flip over the yellow race car and bounce off of the arm of the black robot that had once been a truck.

Rock's first thought was for the driver that he didn't know had never been present on the motorcycle. Jumping up again and returning his dog to Rush Jet mode, he began to circle the area in a panic trying to find the officer before the wicked robot he'd just angered found him. He didn't want to give the menace a hostage. He couldn't know that there hadn't been anybody riding the motorcycle, he'd only seen it for a moment and he hadn't really been paying attention. It would be a concern that resulted in a dangerous second of confusion.

Motormaster had the perfect hostage in that there wasn't one there. The little blue robot swirling and zipping back and forth in a confused daze, too shocked to realize what was going on. As eager as Motormaster was to deal with the Autobots near him, it hadn't been them that had managed to take him off the road. Until now, he'd been able to say that the only one able to take him off the road was Optimus Prime… he'd never live it down if the second to do so was a stupid little blue blip too low on the robotic ladder to even be compared to him. He laughed as he fired a blast from his rifle taking the red dog out from under the boy and letting the boy land face first on the ground…

Rush let out a yelp that was at first organic and pitiful, but in the duration of a syllable reverted into a hollow canned sound more like a recording than a real dog. The static ridden sound wrenched Mega Man's heart out even as the support of the platform the flying dog provided was torn out from under him. His momentum carrying him in the opposite direction that Rush had been sent flying, he was forced into a somersault flip like a vaudeville comedian having a rug pulled out from under him. He managed to see a sparking husk that resembled primary components of his dog before a flash came over his optics when his head impacted with the ground. When the light subsided and his vision flickered clear again, he was staring right down the barrel of Motormaster's atom smasher rifle…

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Transformers / Mega Man:  
The Longest Day

Obviously I do not own any part of either Transformers or Mega Man. The Transformers Copyright is owned by Hasbro, and the Mega Man copyright is owned by Capcom. This is a work of Fandom and I do not gain any profit from it in any way.

Story takes place after the events of Mega Man 8 and during Season 2 of Transformers

Quick apologies: For making some pretty fanciful and geek assumptions about the hows and whys of Mega Man that I don't think were ever coverred officially. For giving personalities to Wily Bots in the cases where none had been given before. To all Zero fans, for writing a Zero with the Wily Protocols in tact. To all Jazz fans, if I don't do him justice. And finally for fitting in backstory in the cases where there may not have been any before -coughProtectobotscough-

-- Part 2 --

Three flashes lit up the room from the screen of Teletran-1. They ended with a burst of sparks and blue light from the small blue robot that had been in front of the towering Decepticon Motormaster. The image quickly became filled with laser fire as Blades, Hot Spot and Streetwise began to subdue the three remaining Stunticons. The undamaged Protectobots seemingly proving to be a match for the Stunticons. What Prowl would later excuse as a lucky shot from Motormaster just as Wildrider and Drag Strip were coming to allowed the Decepticons to push past the Protectobots and retake the road. Bringing up the rear in their escape, Breakdown's wheels ran over both the remains of the small blue boy and the little red dog.

"Cease playback," at the command from the cool metallic voice of Optimus Prime, the computer screen faded and the lighting increased. The command room of The Ark was outfitted with a large table lined with smaller screens. There weren't any curves at the table but it angled in such a way that it resembled a circle if one wasn't looking at it up close. It had been modified from the various command stations that dotted the bridge of The Ark back when it had been a ship instead of a base. Optimus sat upright and proud at the seat farthest away from the screen they had been monitoring. Seated around him were various members of his command staff. At either side of him sat Prowl and Ironhide, his two most senior officers amongst the Autobots. Next to Prowl was Ratchet, his jovial demeanor wrenching in disgust at the mechanical gore he saw on the screen. To his right, Jazz didn't look any happier to see the scene. Directly across from Optimus sat the smallest of the senior staff, the young yellow Autobot Bumblebee had stopped watching the screen the second the first sparks from the robotic dog had come on. To Ironhide's left was the Autobot inventor Wheeljack, his expression was unreadable and he regarded the sight more with an inventive curiosity than the emotionalism of the doctor or anthropologist across from him. Between him and Bumblebee sat the most recent member of the temporary Autobot council, and probably the only one that would have smiled at the carnage if his face were properly equipped for it. Leader of the Dinobots, Grimlock tapped his fingers against the table impatiently and turned his attention toward Optimus Prime with a minor disdain as if he felt his time had been wasted by watching the playback at all.

Other Autobots dotted the room as well, notably Hot Spot and Blades of the Protectobots who'd been featured on the playback. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stood side by side and didn't seem at all phased by the combat, though they'd been admittedly impressed by the tactics used to take down some of the Stunticons. Hound was directly behind Ironhide occasionally leaning in to share some insight with him or Optimus Prime, but the frown on his face was clear. They didn't sit at the table, but rather dotted the various free spaces in the room. It wasn't against any regulation for them to be present when Optimus' makeshift Council of Autobots met, but whether out of respect or reverence, those who gathered to be a part of the meeting didn't speak unless someone from the table regarded them first.

Prowl templed his fingers and focused his optics a little lower, "If that Earth robot hadn't interfered we'd be sitting on the best capture we've had since arriving here." He rested his chin a little closer to his hands a soft clang sounding as they connected together.

Bumblebee frowned and shook his head, "I don't see it like that. I see an Earth robot that went and did the exact same thing that any one of us would have done in the same situation. He might not have known that the Protectobots had the situation under control…"

The stylish Autobot to his left nodded in agreement, "To be fair, he might not have known they were there at all." Jazz tilted his head a little, "Transforming wouldn't have much of a point if everybody figured out it was one of us right away." It was in his nature to try and lighten a heavy mood. Usually a comment like that would be instantly followed by Ratchet, egging him on further or countering it with a joke at his own expense. The medic just looked blankly at him, however, and Jazz wondered if the attempt at humor may have been poorly timed.

"Me, Grimlock, say puny robot got what he deserved!" the Dinobot never seemed to be too concerned with any sensitivity. If they couldn't handle it, they wouldn't have made him a part of the council. He knew why he was here. He was the strongest in the entire Autobot army and they needed his input, "Stupid blue robot bit off more than he could chew and lucky to last as long as he did!"

The leader of the Dinobots was met with more than a few disapproving stares that he just shrugged off. None were more disgusted that one of their own would regard a life so emptily as Optimus himself. He found himself too shocked to come up with the words, and was almost thankful when Prowl spoke.

"The point isn't that the robot was destroyed in the conflict," he said it as if it were just a part of routine. A statistic he was quoting. It masked the discomfort he really had, as calculating and logical as he liked to be, it still shook his circuits to think of anything being destroyed so violently so pointlessly. He paused a moment, not liking the processes running through his systems, "The point is that between this, the incidents with Torque3 and Nightbird… I think we need to start seriously considering the Earth robots when planning our operations. This incident is just the most recent. We need to know who our allies are, Optimus."

Optimus leaned forward and the light in his optics dimmed a little, "As much as it saddens me, it seems a little late to investigate that with the robot in question. But I agree that it's a concern." He let out a long sigh to reflect his internal struggle, "Why? Why did that robot wait until this moment to assist us?"

"Assuming he had meant to be assisting us at all," Ironhide offered.

"How do you mean?" Bumblebee asked.

Ironhide tilted a little in his seat as if to become more comfortable and rested his head on his closed fist as he leaned over the table, now facing Bumblebee. He paused and seemed to furrow his brow a little, though it might have been a trick of the lighting, "Well, like you and Jazz said… maybe he didn't know the Protectobots were there. He might not have known he was helping any Autobots… maybe, he was just trying to protect the city?" he posed it as a question to the table in a manner that suggested it was certainly what he was thinking.

"Perhaps," Prime conceded, "This was the first time we've known about any Decepticon activity in Light City. What do we know about that city?" The question was directed at Teletran-1 and the computer was quick to reply.

"Light City, California. Population One hundred and sixty two thousand seven hundred fifteen organics. Two hundred and eighty thousand three hundred fourteen reploids…"

"What's a reploid?" Bumblebee interrupted, then looked around the table sheepishly as if they might all have known and only he was out of the loop.

Jazz smiled a little and patted Bumblebee on the shoulder, "A reploid is a humanoid robot that the humans make. Usually they aren't very special, know what I mean? No self awareness or personal style."

Bumblebee was shocked, "That city has almost a two to one ratio of robots to humans?"

Wheeljack nodded, "It's not that unusual in some places, I've seen. A reploid is any humanoid robot, just like Nightbird was, most of them just do the jobs humans don't want to do. Like drones back on Cybertron…" he brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed at the faceplate a little as the panels on the sides of his head flashed in time with his speech, "That blue robot is probably the most sophisticated design I've seen in an Earth robot. If I didn't know better, I'd say that it almost seemed…"

"Alive?" Ratchet finally spoke, a solemn choke to his voice. It became quickly apparent that even more than the others he was devastated by what he'd seen.

Wheeljack paused as he tried to find the right words to hand to his comrade, almost all of them had been disgusted by the display they'd seen, but to entertain the idea that a human had managed to create a robot that had the gift of life that they did. He liked to think that he was more willing to accept things based on fact than any of the others, that he wasn't as bound by any of the ancient religions that many of them believed… but he was aware and believed in the Spark. That was what gave them life, that was what separated them from any of the robots made on Earth. He paused, "I… I was going to say aware."

--

"So tell me, Shockwave," Megatron began, "Have you learned anything from the components that Rumble and Frenzy returned with?"

Shockwave's single eye stared back at Megatron from the screen as his hollow and nearly monotone voice returned, "A great many things, Lord Megatron. Though, I feel there are a great many more to learn. Much of the data is encrypted and will require far more code work for me to come up with anything of true value. Are you certain that these components came from a human scientist?" if Shockwave could sound sarcastic it would have occurred then, "The very idea that something so advanced could come from Earth at all…"

Megatron was quickly becoming impatient and felt no hesitation in interrupting Shockwave in mid-sentence, "Elaborate quickly Shockwave, this is not a social call…"

If Shockwave felt insulted at being interrupted at all, it didn't show. Not that anything ever did from the Decepticon leader's logical advisor, "Regarding the metal that Frenzy and Rumble had assumed to be indestructible - it is not." The screen shifted focus to a small yellow and black robotic organism that seemed to be wearing the hat that Frenzy had wanted so badly for himself. "Or rather, it is not the metal that holds that property.

"The robot inside produces a field with certain components. The field dispels any energy fire or physical attack. However, the field requires such a focus of energy that to divert for any reason dispels it's effects. The robot protected by the field would become vulnerable."

"Then it is useless!" Megatron pounded his fist into the arm of his throne in fury, he hated having his time or energy wasted.

Shockwave's face returned to the screen, "The met - as it is called - is of little value beyond as a field sentry. The real pieces of interest have come from data within the computer, Lord Megatron."

He found himself at a pause. That must have been what Shockwave had meant before, it was in deed laughable that a human could come up with anything of real value to the technologically superior Decepticon army. A smile began to curve on his lip components, and his voice became melodic and calm, almost at a whisper as he looked down to the screen to see Shockwave, "Tell me more, Shockwave…"

--

"…ing back online now."

Sound was still shaky and metallic as his audio receptors began to come back up. Even still, he could make out the voice of Dr. Thomas Light. The man he called dad. There was a disturbing echo to the voices as he registered them, and he still couldn't feel or move any of his other components. He hated this part. Being lost in a world of darkness and disembodied sound. Even as broken as they sounded, he could still make out all of the voices as they spoke.

"Is he going to be okay?" the sweetness and concern could only come from Roll. His sister, arguably his best friend amongst all his siblings, though she had an unfavorable tendency to pester him into doing his chores and nagging him on all sorts of things. That was what sisters were for, though, right?

"He'll be fine, the Doc's the best." That had to be Auto. Nobody else could sound that cheerful just watching the doctor work. He wondered how many of his brothers were present, but hoped that it wouldn't be many. He could handle whatever teasing he might awake to from Roll and Auto, he didn't want to think about how bad it would be if Elec Man or Time Man were here watching him in this state. Sure, they'd all been here. Broken and scattered in pieces across a table while Dr. Light poked and prodded and reattached the unattached and replaced the missing. But for whatever reason, Rock always felt like he was supposed to be better than that… even though he'd probably been on this table more times than any of his siblings. Or all of them for that matter.

He felt a pang of relief when he heard a low murmuring growl from a familiar red helmeted mutt. He'd been afraid that the damage would have been too much too quickly for Rush, and maybe his memory core couldn't have transmitted in time for the re-life process. Along with the Solid Light Technology, the re-life process was one of Mega Man's secrets in the war against Dr. Wily. It would occur automatically anytime his fusion core was about to rupture, any time his sensors detected an imminent system failure, or any time he - himself - assumed that he was about to be dismantled or destroyed. His internal systems would transmit a signal that copied all of his memory protocols and neural pathways into a system specifically set aside for those files. The doctor would know the begin when a little icon of his son's head appeared on the screen smiling back at him. With those files in tact, it was just a matter of reassembling the pieces of Mega Man that Auto would relocate. Or, in the worst possible case, completely rebuilding Mega Man might be necessary. But the system meant that as long as resources were handy Mega Man could be back in action to continue fighting against Wily's menaces.

There were similar systems in place for all of Dr. Light's children, almost all of them had been used at least once. Only the original one, Blues' system… had never flared to life. Defying the odds they all knew were against their oldest brother.

Finally his sensory receptors came back up and he could feel his body again. He was whole, for the most part at least. It felt like he was still missing a leg and the joints in his right hand were a little stiff, and it seemed like his left arm was stuck in gun mode. Whether there was a component in his Solid Light system that was damaged, or if the ability had been turned off for his repairs, he didn't know.

With pixilated flickers his optics began to come online again. It wasn't precise yet, but he didn't think he saw any of his brothers around the room as he began to look around. Well, it might be Cut Man over in the corner… if it wasn't a coat rack. A horrible electrical pain rang all through the back of his head as he began to sit up his hand pressing at his neck and trying to rub a kink out of his neck joints. He probably needed to be lubricated again.

Even as his optics were coming into focus he felt a soft thump on his back, he turned to see a pink and yellow blob that he was pretty sure was his sister Roll. That tongue running against his foot was either Rush or Auto had a serious malfunction. He reached down and patted his dog on the head. Everything came into clarity just as he looked up to see his father's frowning expression staring back at him, his arms folded over his chest and the clear sound of his foot tapping down on the floor. He was obviously trying not to explode at Mega Man, which made it all the worse and awkward for him to try and look Dr. Light in the eye. The doctor took a long deep breath, "I've told you a thousand times, Rock Light," both names… nothing meant you were in more trouble than when your parent used both names, "How many times more until it sinks in! You can't abuse the Re-Life system!"

Mega Man looked down and away sheepishly and scratched behind Rush's ears, "I hadn't expected it to be a problem, Doctor…" when he was in trouble he was more formal with Dr. Light. He frowned, "They were hurting people, I had to stop them."

The statement softened the stern look Thomas was trying so hard to keep in the face of his son when he was really just so thankful for him to be okay. He sighed and rubbed his head and scratched his chin under his long beard, "I know you meant well, Rock… it's just, I don't know if it's safe for you to be running around with those alien robots. They stomp around and fight each other with no regard at all for the safety of the humans or reploids that might be hurt in the process."

"Fire Man says…" Rock jumped a little.

Dr. Light shook his head, "Fire Man likes to look for righteous causes to get behind. He means well, but he's idealistic. I'm not sure that I trust even those Autobots." In his mind it was them acting late that had damaged his son.

Rock shook his head, "Don't you always say to judge each robot based on the quality of his character? Not by the origin of their programming?"

"Well… it's not that I don't think those Autobots are bad," he rested his hands on Rock's shoulders, "But they're always followed by trouble…"

--

As the rest of the Autobots filed out of the room, Prowl stayed and watched the playback on Teletran-1 at least a half dozen more times. His shoulders rolling back and his head shifting form side to side as if he were trying to work something out of his joints that he just couldn't find. His face was calm and his optics clear, but there was something clearly bothering him as he brought his hand up to his face and scratched at the side of his chin. The feeling of a hand coming down on his shoulder brought his attention away from the screen and to the serious expression of Hot Spot.

There was a moment of silence before Prowl turned to fully face Hot Spot and offered him a nod, "What is it, soldier?" Prowl was often one of the most formal Autobots, always addressing the others by rank or title as opposed to their name. He knew as much about each of them as Optimus, but he knew this was an army and more often then not he treated it as such.

Hot Spot frowned and folded his arms, "Something's bothering me, sir." He paused, Prowl didn't interrupt him so he took it as a cue to safely continue, "When should I expect my reprimand, sir?" He tilted his head as if impatient for a punishment he felt was coming to him.

"I'm not sure I follow you, Hot Spot." Prowl tilted his head.

"Sir. That robot was terminated because of my inability to react to a situation promptly. Because of my inaction, a civilian was a casualty in our war."

He had to admit, he was proud of Hot Spot. Not many mechanoids, even amongst the Autobots, would actively seek out a reprimand. It boasted well of his conscience pathways, Optimus would be proud. But frankly, Prowl wanted to keep this as quiet as he could. The Protectobots were directly under his command, and as it was Groove was already in need of heavy repairs and the Stunticons had gotten away. He paused, his shoulders rolling even as he spoke, "Be thankful it wasn't a human and let it go for now soldier." There was a bitter sensation left on his internal sensors as he bit out the words, "It was probably just another one of those mechanized soldiers that some cities have policing themselves now. No loss of life. You did your best." He turned away sharply but tried to keep his tone as pleasant and friendly as it had been, "Dismissed."

Ratchet was still sitting at the table focusing on apparently nothing at all. He'd seen death before, so he couldn't imagine why this bothered him so much. Maybe, he thought, because they were sitting right in front of the potential for new life. The opportunity to find new life came across maybe once in a function cycle if a Transformer was lucky, and all of his comrades were just waving it off. Especially…

Prowl sat down next to him and leaned in, making sure that none of the others were close enough to hear him, "I agree with you."

Ratchet's optics lit up in excitement and confusion as he turned to face Prowl. He'd thought for sure the security chief had been his biggest opponent in trying to suggest that it might have been another living robot. But here he was agreeing with him? "But you…"

"It doesn't make sense. One has to pay close attention to the playback, but twice I can see the robot react." His shoulders rolling again, "Once he responds with clear fear for the danger, and another time with shock and fear for the other robot that was destroyed before he was. Then it's not clear, but it's almost like he reacts with pain when he impacts with the ground."

Good old Prowl, Ratchet thought. He always noticed something about a scene that the others missed, "Then why?"

"It wouldn't do to divide ourselves right now, especially without concrete proof that we're right about that reploid. But I want to check this out to be sure. And I want you to come with me."

Ratchet regarded him curiously, "How do you mean?"

"I think it's about time that the Autobots paid a real visit to Light City, California…"


	3. Chapter 3

--Part 3--

He'd never let Dr. Light catch him saying it but Guts Man didn't mind the new power plant being destroyed in the recent battle between Decepticons and Autobots in their city. He loved building things. Even if those alien robots decided to destroy it a hundred more times, he'd be out here each time gleefully putting the pieces back together. It was his primary function, after all.

That was something that robots had over humans, he nodded. Robots always knew what they were meant to do. He felt a little bit of pity for humans as he walked around his site. There were millions of humans every day that went about their lives doing something they hated, some humans even ended up terminating their function cycles because they never found what they were designed for. The concept confused Guts Man and he didn't like to think about it for long.

Luckily, he didn't have to. He had work to do, which was always his favorite distraction from anything that might bother him.

The destruction had done quite a number on the plant, but it couldn't really be called a tragedy. He'd actually expected something to happen when they began to build it. Until recently, all of Light City's power came from out of town. Imported from plants in other cities across the state, even up into Oregon. That had been why many of Wily's plans for conquest started quite a distance away. Guts Man figured, it had also been part of the reason why the Decepticons and Autobots had never paid much attention to the town. He'd been betting that as soon as they got the plant up and running there'd be some commotion involving it, and he'd been right. Of course, he hadn't expected to have to rebuild the entire thing. That was just icing.

None of the other reploids working on the site were as advanced as him, but they were programmed well enough to take orders. It meant he didn't have to hear any complaints about labor or time, but sometimes he wished he had another robot or even a human to talk to. At least he had his rounds to keep him busy as he made his way around the site and inventoried his supplies and equipment.

He'd been trying to figure out where this construction equipment had come from. It wasn't on the list, but he couldn't figure out where or why a company would deliver six perfectly good construction vehicles. He'd gone over the list several times and couldn't find out where the problem was. He brought his massive hydraulic arm up to the back of his head and began to scratch at the base of his cranial chamber, gritting his teeth a little. Finally he just shook his head and let out a whistle to six of his reploid crew, waving them over with his other enormous arm, "You guys get to work with these things, alright! Better 'n' letting 'em sit around collecting rust, right?" His attitude was pleasant and jovial but authoritative and strong.

It's good, he thought, to do the things you love…

--

The sorrows of pleasing your employer. The burdens of doing a good job. Rumble found himself almost wishing they hadn't found that stupid equipment now. Megatron had ordered them to go with Ravage to find anything else related to the computer and robot they'd found in the underground area of Light City. So far Ravage had led them down six more tunnels, each with one or two salvageable components but not as big a haul as they'd gotten from the previous one. Whoever this was that they were stealing from, seemed to love having a lot of places to hide around the city. According to Megatron's scans, there were probably at least two dozen more such bases of operation around the globe.

This one looked a little more promising. The walls were still clean and in tact if a little rundown and derelict. None of the damage was near the level that it had been on some of the others, and instead of being under a destroyed property, the building above it was still standing tall. There were even a few lights still flickering on and off, as they drained whatever was left of the internal generators for precious energy.

By now Rumble was starting to get a feel for when they were about to reach the primary chamber. All of the labs they'd been through had been subtly different, but there were certain consistencies. So he wasn't surprised when the next door slid open and there was another primary chamber. This one more in tact and sustained than any of the previous ones.

"Jack pot!" Frenzy whistled as the found the treasure trove of computers and pods and technology.

"Let's get to work." Rumble grinned as they walked in, "Ravage, you play lookout!"

Rumble and Frenzy went about trying to dislodge any equipment that wasn't sealed to the walls or floor. The soft florescent light flickering painfully and bothering Frenzy's optics as they began to make a pile in the center of the room. There were egg-shell shaped chairs, most of them broken, that began to serve as a marker for the piles. Computer components were piled near the north chair, robotics parts were piled near the broken east chair, and miscellaneous items that Shockwave could identify or make use of later were piled on top of another chair. They'd been at it enough now to know what they could use and what they couldn't, so the miscellaneous pile was shrinking with each successful raid. Astrotrain had gotten quicker and quicker each time about meeting them at a clear spot and taking the components back to the undersea base, while Blitzwing zipped them about back and forth between drop zones and played lookout above ground. Blitzwing was good at taking orders, and he was good at blowing things up… two qualities that put him at the top of the list when Megatron was selecting the party for this particular task.

Ravage paced back and forth and finally lay down in front of the door, letting it's jaws open and stretch into a feline's yawn. Frenzy smirked and yawned as well, "Man, feels like we've been at this for days…" he held his hand over his optic as he moved back to the wall.

"Just one day, Frenzy. And I'd say save your whining for when we're done. The big boss ain't gonna wanna hear it anymore than I am." Rumble was examining some wall panels and a sealed door, wondering what was behind it and making it a point to blast his way through after they'd finished up in this room.

"Feh, whatever." Frenzy looked up at the light and grumbled as he began to examine the functionality of another computer, "Can we at least do something about that light for Primus' sake? It's killing my optics!"

It hadn't really dawned on Rumble until then that the lights had been off and the generators powered down at every other location they'd been at. In fact, this was eerily like a lived in home they were invading. The concept in itself didn't necessarily bother Rumble, it wasn't like he was above breaking and entering or anything. But it did bring up the question of who they might be intruding on…

The question was answered quickly as the door Rumble had been looking at earlier suddenly slid upward and a form covered in a long tattered brown cape that covered him almost like a poncho. From the division at the side of the poncho, the figure's left arm stuck out and ended in a devastating looking arm cannon. From the black helmet on his head, two gold and black fins spanned out in either direction like the ears of a mechanical bat. There was another form behind him but it was hidden in the shadows and Rumble couldn't quite make it out. His expression as his optics scanned over the room in front of him was a clear and readable annoyance, and Rumble could already hear the quiet hum from the arm cannon drawing in power.

"Who in the inferno are you?" Frenzy scoffed a little.

"Why are you in my home?" the figure stood calm and still, but there was an intensity in his optics that suggested he was forcing himself not to let loose on them. 

Rumble could read the look well, Rumble recognized the look he saw in at least a dozen other Decepticons every time he mouthed off to them. Usually his connection to Soundwave was protection enough from any potential threats within his own ranks… he doubted trying to explain the importance of working for Soundwave would work with this one. He set the object he was carrying down gently, "I think my friend asked you first." Ravage had already started getting up and took a predatory position. Rumble could tell the robotic cat was already sizing up the newcomer as his prey.

Bass turned his optics to regard Frenzy without actually turning any portion of his body or facing him. His expression didn't change, "You come into my home. You tear things from my walls." he moved his expression back to Rumble, "And you don't even have the decency to answer my query." he seemed to sigh the words out, "You'd better be entertaining as hell."

With that he raised his left arm and without even looking discharged a bolt of plasma at Frenzy that slammed into his shoulder joint. Ravage was on him in an astrosecond, or at least he would have been if an enormous robotic wolf with at least four cubic feet in mass on Ravage hadn't jumped out from behind Bass and thrown the feline Cassetticon to the ground with it's massive claws. Ravage acknowledged the cheap shot and gave an approving nod toward Treble as if he was impressed by the stealthy attack. The two began circling one another like two animals both trying to decide which was the predator.

Rumble watched the whole scene transpire in a matter of seconds and a quick wash of confusion came over him. He'd expected that the shot he'd seen hit Frenzy would have been followed up with another shot aimed at him, but instead Bass had just stood there looking at him. Even going so far as to allow Frenzy time to recuperate and get his balance back after being almost thrown into the wall by the power of the blast. Frenzy recovered and slammed his right fist into his open left palm, growling a little about a cheap shot and daring the black and gold robot to do it again. All his remarks were met with little more than a quaint laughter from Bass. Bass smiled a little at Rumble and an unfelt wind seemed to tug at his cape as he spoke a single syllable challenge to both of them. A shrug of his shoulders, "Well…?"

--

Megatron eagerly stepped off the Space Bridge and marched regally toward the remnants of his Cybertron palace in the city of Iacon. Someday, he thought, he would make this world worthy of his glory. Until then he had more important matters to worry about than appearances. Particularly with the Autobots standing in the way of his attempts to gather sufficient energon to power his dying home world.

With any luck, Shockwave would have some news for him that would solve some aspect of that problem. He was pleased with what he knew so far of the machines that Rumble and Frenzy had presented him. Very pleased in deed. According to Shockwave there were plans in there for a system that could copy a robot's neural pathways for reconstruction. Shockwave had already come up with plans to use it with Megatron's existing robot cloning technology. If what Shockwave intended to do worked, it would mean that no Decepticon would ever need fear defeat in battle again. They would simply be reconstructed as an exact copy. Instantly. Perfectly.

But there was something else promising that Shockwave had discovered while working his way through the hundreds of terabytes of information on the hard drives he'd been given. There was a possibility that he might be able to add over fifty new soldiers to his army. He shuttered a little to think of adding Earth robots to the ranks of Decepticons, but any advantage was welcome no matter where it may have originated. He couldn't afford to be xenophobic or technocentric as he'd like to be, when he was this deep into the war.

With Soundwave at his side, he entered Shockwave's laboratory with his head held high and a gleeful smirk formed on his lip components. He signaled to Shockwave to begin with his report. A small part of him was always irked by the fact that nothing he seemed to do could intimidate the cold logical Decepticon scientist.

Shockwave's single optic focused on Megatron as he stood and backed away from the workstation he'd been at. His emotions - if there were any - were completely impossible to read. There was, however, a certain excitement in his tone when he spoke about his working on any particular project, "Fascinating finds, Lord Megatron." he began, "I've learned that all of the mechanoids stored in the files here are all improved versions. I'm currently running an algorithm to test compatibility for further enhancement with Cybertronian technologies. Those who prove compatible can be fitted with Transforming capability, though some seem to have components that are too sensitive to make those enhancements practical, Lord Megatron."

"The gift of transformation should not simply be bestowed upon any mechanoid that is capable of it," Megatron reasoned, "Have you been able to access their programming to ensure they become proper Decepticons?"

Shockwave turned. If Megatron didn't know any better, he might have assumed a hint of bashfulness in Shockwave's manner. Shockwave paused, "I was able to view their programming, Lord Megatron…" he began, "But there are manners of codes and locks in place that protect them from any tampering. Most likely the one who developed them originally believed he had many enemies."

Megatron was livid, his optics burning as he turned back toward Shockwave, "Are you telling me that we will be unable to make use of them as Decepticons?"

"Not… exactly, Lord Megatron." Shockwave's conceited tone returned, "They all share two qualities which should prove notable. A strong passion for destructive behavior, and obedience bordering on blind loyalty in some cases. You can see for yourself, I've taken the liberty of activating a number of them."

The gunmetal gray Decepticon sneered at Shockwave, "I am in a gracious mood, Shockwave, so I will overlook those liberties taken. Are the other systems also already operating?"

Soundwave and he followed their compatriot into a wider area of his testing grounds. This area more like a warehouse than the smaller computer room they had just left. An intricate system of computers and chambers lined the walls, with three pods empty and one apparently processing something. Already standing in the room, trying to make sense of their new surroundings were a few of the human sized robots whose schematics had been on the computers Shockwave had been working on. Apparently the so-called enhanced versions of robots that had been destroyed previously. Megatron was finding himself curious about the history of these little robots. He could see the alterations that marked the work of Shockwave clearly on them. One of them was joyously transforming between a bulky armored robot and a miniature tank. Another green robot seemed to be curious about his new form as a helicopter. One that was apparently one with components that prevented him from being able to transform was just sitting calmly in a corner, the smirk on his face reminded Megatron of Starscream's plotting. He'd keep his eye on that one. There was one that seemed a lot like a human soldier, gripping his head and trying to figure something out. He was talking to himself when he noted Megatron and saluted him. One that looked even more like a ninja than Nightbird had, one that looked like Shockwave had given it the ability to transform into a submarine, one resembled a nightmarish clown, and one had several saw blades all over it's body. Each of them had the Decepticon insignia on their heads, branding them as part of Megatron's army. As a robot that appeared to be wearing a metallic snake stepped out of the chamber, Shockwave gestured toward them and answered Megatron's question, "The system is functioning. Though I've not yet tested it for the potential of immortality suggested in the…"

Shockwave was interrupted by the sound of Megatron's fusion cannon taking aim and letting loose a blast that tore the soldier apart down to his molecular structure. Almost immediately the first chamber began to pulse and glow. The device Megatron had designed to clone Optimus Prime being put to good use by copying existing schematics for a robot and assembling it with even more efficiency than it had when it was used for cloning based on holographic data. After a few moments, the robot stepped out and nervously regarded Megatron. Once again, he raised his hand to salute and with a slight gasp and look of awe the rest all followed suit. Megatron smiled and folded his arms over his central chamber and looked over the small robots. He was resisting the urge to call them his Minicons for now, but he had a feeling they would be welcome additions to his ranks, "Now you know my power…" he began. Schemes were already forming inside his processor.

--

Rumble took a shot again in the stomach area that sent him flying back, it hadn't been the first time and it was becoming clear to him that it probably wouldn't be the last. As Frenzy tried to take advantage of the opening, Bass's metal leg came up in an arch slamming into his cranial chamber and making him stumble. Bass stepped in and brought the opposing leg up and forward pushing Frenzy back and into Rumble just as Rumble was trying to stand back up.

It was really beginning to piss Rumble off, so he could only imagine how fuming Frenzy must have been. Bass only used his feet when he got up close, like he didn't want to move his cape to let the right hand out, or maybe he didn't have a right hand Rumble thought for a second. He wouldn't use his left arm, either, until he'd charged a shot up. The two Decepticons could hear the low hum of the arm cannon charging up, and they could faintly see the purple and pink glow coming from the barrel. He never aimed for any prime targets on them, either. He was toying with them, enjoying the fight like a human might enjoy an afternoon jog.

Meanwhile, near the entrance to cavern, Ravage seemed to be having some problems of his own with Treble. The lupine mechanoid taking an attack position, with the tail curled up over it's back pointed at Ravage. Occasionally a pulse of energy or a stream of fire would burst forth from the tip, leaving Ravage only enough time or room to dodge. Ravage was quicker but had far less armaments on him. The Decepticon stalker didn't like being put on a defensive any more than Rumble and Frenzy did.

"You know what!" Frenzy would have been steaming if there had been any water inside him, "Slag this! Let's just bring the whole thing down on top of him!"

Normally, Rumble might have tried to be the voice of reason in this situation. He loved smashing things and bringing structures down, but he also hated disappointing Megatron. Right now, that thought wasn't coming through in his processors. Instead, he just got to his feet and altered his arms just like Frenzy was currently doing. The two of them yelling joyously as the two pile-drivers on each of them began slamming into the ground.

Bass had been raising his cannon to fire at them when the ground began to quake and pulse under his feet. The sudden impact knocking him back a little and sending the shot skyward and into the ceiling, bringing a few large chunks down from it. A few of the pieces falling on top of or in front of the two Cassetticons, but not seeming to bother them in the least. Bass turned to see Treble having as much difficulty as he was standing, his four legs sliding outward and under himself as he tumbled to the ground. Bass tried to get his bearings and stand up despite the vibrations, but wasn't able to. It was frustrating… almost as much as their idiotic laughter.

After a few moments of the quaking when there were audible cracks from the foundation as well as the ceiling, the two grinned at each other and turned their arms back to normal. Frenzy reached up to his shoulders and pulled the blaster that he had attached to his back, pointing it and firing six times at the downed enemy. Relishing the sight of sparks flying from the joints of Bass's knees, then firing a few times at his lupine companion to keep him down while he and Rumble dashed out back into the tunnel.

Bass gritted his teeth and looked out toward Treble, "Come on, Treble!" he called to him, the dog struggling to do so, but managing to alter it's form into that of a jet. The ceiling was coming down and a huge rock came down on the pile of computer parts that the two thugs had set against one of the walls. It was quickly followed by several more falling throughout the room. It took a moment for the thrusters to fire but when they did Treble shot out and curved around the room. Another smaller piece fell down and slammed into Bass's foot, crushing a portion of his body, "Come on, Treble!" he called louder.

--

Ratchet followed Prowl closely as they made their way through the city. Prowl was adamant that they make a certain number of rounds before they even considered stopping to interact with any of the local robots. Prowl liked to have a good idea of all the things he could expect before he settled on any course of action. It was becoming a little obvious to Ratchet why many of the other Autobots didn't like to work with Prowl. He was meticulous to a fault. Obsessively methodical.

Quickly Prowl pulled into a mall parking lot. The hours were long over by now, and even the employee cars were gone. It seemed like an odd choice to Ratchet, but he was certain Prowl knew what he was doing. Each of them pulled into a parking space across from the other and transformed into robot mode. Immediately, Prowl made a face like his olfactory sensors were detecting such a foul smell that he could taste it. His shoulders rolling back and his head shaking from side to side briefly. He turned and scanned over the city once more, making a full circle before turning back to Ratchet, "There are at least three Decepticons in town. Probably more."

Ratchet smirked a little, "That's good. How do you figure?"

"I don't figure." His shields came down over his optics, effectively blinding him as he leaned and began his circle again, "I know. The demolitions site on Benson Road. Downed fighter jet, looked like it was trying to hide and I saw Rumble and Frenzy making a pretty frantic dash for it. I'm guessing it was Blitzwing. Those are the three I'm certain of. Energon residue left at the train station outside town. No evidence he was still there, but Astrotrain makes sense. If he was there, he's probably coming back. If there's an Energon supply here in town and we haven't found out about it, there's no reason to believe that the Decepticons won't milk it until we do. Finally, I saw one of the seekers hiding out in a garage on the corner of Sakamura and Fifth. Fairly dead center in town, but pretty close to that power station that we intercepted them trying to leech from yesterday. Well, what's left of it. Good tactical position if you were trying to keep tabs on operatives while preparing something for that power station. Has to be Starscream." Prowl said the whole thing in a manner that almost suggested it should have been obvious to anybody paying any attention, a slight hint of excitement hanging on his smile when he said Starscream's name.

"Why?" Ratchet asked, still a little behind. He'd been paying more attention to keeping up with Prowl and following his movements than he had been of observing the city.

"Because it's where I'd put myself." There wasn't much evidence to conclude that the opposite was true, but Starscream was one of Prowl's favorite adversaries. The Decepticon air commander and he were both bots of thought more than action. Shockwave was as smart or smarter than the both of them, but he was so cool, rational and predictable. It was Starscream's ability to improvise and skill in shock tactics were what made confrontations with him interesting.

Ratchet looked a little apprehensive, he hadn't come here to get sucked into a major battle. He knew Prowl wouldn't waste resources if there wasn't any logical reason to engage the Decepticon forces, but sometimes it was hard for any normal bot to tell exactly what Prowl believed was logical or rational. Where Ratchet might say they weren't being attacked, it might be best to leave the situation be for now. Prowl might say that they were at war, that the ultimate goal was the defeat of the enemy, and logically any advantage the enemy gained now was one they'd have to overcome later. Internally Ratchet frowned, maybe he was starting to understand Prowl better than he thought. Still there was something that was tugging at his components, "So… why did we stop? Isn't standard op when you encounter the enemy to call back to the Ark for orders from Prime? Or…" he gestured to the mall behind them, "Are we here to see if those new cardigan pullovers from Old Navy come in extra-extra-extra-extra-extra-extra-extra-extra-extra large?"

"What?" Prowl turned back at Ratchet with an almost painful expression on his face, like something was ripping out some of his bolts, "The mall's not even open." He paused as if trying to figure it out, "I stopped because I'm almost certain we were being followed, and I'm hoping that our tail will come out when they see us in robot form." He turned to the dark expanse on the street beyond the parking lot, patiently waiting for something to show up in the shadows that blanketed the streets, "I seriously doubt that they make sweaters sized for Autobots."

It was hard for Ratchet to remember that sarcasm didn't always register as it was intended with Prowl, "We should get one for Optimus. Can we come back tomorrow?" which meant that he was always forgetting how much fun it was to push him. He grinned a little as he looked out at the darkness with Prowl. Whatever Prowl saw there, he wasn't seeing it, and he was wondering how long they'd sit here waiting.

Then Ratchet heard it. A low hum of something hovering above the ground, and then he saw the dim lights of something coming at them fast but having jumped forward as if it jetted out from a dead stop. It was on them faster than Ratchet had ever believed an Earth vehicle would move. It was a nice design, a lot like a Kawasaki motorcycle but without any wheels on it at all. Sitting on top of it was a young man in red that was strikingly like the little blue robot they'd seen on the playback. On his shoulder was a light blue helmet that looked vaguely like a bird.

Blues folded his arms as he stepped down from his hover bike, the shield on his back making his shadow seem far more imposing than it had to be. Beat tweeted a couple times and flapped around him to perch on his shield. He figured the Transformers were used to a certain amount of reverence and awe when somebody saw them for the first time. He kept his face composed so as not to give it to them, though he had to admit, he was impressed. They were large, they were heavily armored, they were strong. He looked from the two of them and smirked a little as if he was completely in control of the situation, "Alright, I'll take the bait." He didn't want to engage in battle, but sometimes you had to appear to be the tough guy. He raised his left arm and pointed his Proto Buster at the two of them as he paused to punctuate his point, "Why are you in Light City?" 


End file.
